Operating mechanism for overhead doors



w l, W., W. M. @RUMST OPERATING MECHANISM FOR OVERHEAD DOORS Filed July 9, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet l1 A TT ORNE Y' @mmm Mw W, WE@ W M. BRUNST OFERATINQ MECHANISM FOR OVERHEAD DooR's Filed July 9, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 [N VENTOR WILL/4N P?" BAQUNST 'A TTORNE YS www W. M. BRUNST OPERATING MECHANISM'FOR OVERHEAD DOORS mm VN 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July. 9, 1930 NVENTOR WML/4M r1- Blei/NST.

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Filed July 9, 1950- 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 A TT ORNE K5 l my 19 M w. M. BRUNST OPERATING- MECHANISM FOR OVERHEAD DOORS 5y Sheets-Sheet 5.

Filed July 9, 1930 LLI/@M umm;

Patented May 19, 1936 l UNITED STATES PATET QFFICE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR OVERHEAD ORS Application July 9, 1930, Serial No. 466,630

16 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in operating mechanisms for overhead doors, and has for its object the provision of means for pro-perly locating the upper end of the door when in closed position, and holding it in closed position until the door is hoisted for opening purposes.

It is also the object of this invention to provide, in connection with the upper panel of a multiple panel door, swinging means for guiding the panel as the door is being opened.

It is also the object to provide, in connection with the upper panel, means to engage a suitable coacting means on the jamb of the door for properly locating the upper panel when the door is closed and holding in its proper position until the door is open.

It is also an object of this invention to provide, in connection with an overhead door, spring counterbalance means located immediately above the door space and so connected to the door that it assists in raising the door for opening purposes.

These and other objects will appear from the description taken in connection with the drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is an inside elevation of the door in closed position.

Figure 2 is a Vertical section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the upper end of the door showing a slightly modified form of wall bracket, and showing the door in closed position.

Figure 4 is a View similar to Figure 3, showing the door slightly raised and the upper panel in slightly tilted position, with the swinging roller in engagement with the curved part of the guide member.V

Figure 5 is a View similar lto Figure 4 but showing the door in a slightly more advanced stage of opening; In this View the lower guide roller is entirely free from the panel-holding bracket.

Figure 6 is a vertical section through the horizontal part of one of the guide members, showing the upper part of the door in vertical closed position.

Figure 'I is a diagrammatic View of the cable and pulley hoisting mechanism.

Figure 8 is a side elevation of the guiding slot mechanism when arranged for adjustment.

Figure 9 is a front elevation thereof.

Figure 10 is an elevation from the other side of Figure 8.

This mechanism is. adapted to be used in connection with garages, repair shops and other similar places, and is supported by the wall I of a building. In this building there is a doorway 2, which is to be closed by means of a vertical door which is adapted to be moved upwardly and to assume a horizontal position above the doorway during the time that the doorway is being used.

In this operation of the door the door is supported on each side by means of a guide meml0 ber. The vertical part of this guide member is indicated by the numeral 3, the curved part by the numeral I and the horizontal overhead part by the numeral 5. All of these parts together constitute a single guide member forming a continuous runway in which the rollers move. Attached to the Wall of the building adjacent the upper side of the doorway is a bracket S. There is one of' these brackets on each side of the door, and it is attached to the wall by any suitable means. At the lower end of this bracket there is al downwardly inclined slot 'I which terminates in a substantially vertical pocket Ia.

The door used for closing the doorway is formed l of a large number of panels 8. In the present instance there are four of `these panels shown, one pivoted to the other to form the complete door. These panels are connected to one another by means of hinges 9. 0n each side of the upper section or panel there is attached to the door a bracket I0. This bracket may be attached to the door by means of bolts or screws. Extending Afrom the lower end of the bracket is an arm Il which has on the outer end thereof a roller I2 for engagement with the lower part of the bracket 6 and Within the slot I and seat Ia when the door is being closed and is closed.

On the upper end of the bracket I0 there is pivotally mounted an arm I3. This arm is pivoted to the bracket Il at one end and has on the other end thereof a roller I4. This rollerl I li fits and moves along the guide members in the process of opening and closing the door. EX- tending from each of the hinges 9 is an extension shaft I5, which has on the outer end thereof a roller I6 which is located within the guide member for the purpose of supporting the door and its panels, and for the purpose of guiding the parts of the door during the process of opening and closing. When the door is closed these rollers are in the vertical part of the guide member. As the door is opened they shift from one part of the guide member to another until they finally assume positions in the horizontal part cated in Figure l.

of the guide member. In this position the door is fully open and supported overhead.

For the purpose of assisting in opening and closing there is provided a spring Il, as india counterweight, is attached at one end I8 to a suitable part of the wall just above the doorway and to one side thereof. At the other end of the spring are two pulleys I9 and ISb. Adjacent the point I8 where the spring is attached to the wall there is located on the wall a pulley I 9a. On the wall across the doorway from the pulley I9 are two pulleys 20 and 2|, located and supported on a plate 23 suitably attached to some part of the wall or to one of the bracket members 6. The pulleys 20, 2I, and I9, I9b, are located above and substantially in the same plane as that in which the door lies when it is closed as shown in Fig. 2, and said pulleys and the spring are arranged immediately above the door and in a space between the curved portion 4 of the guide member and a corner of the room. The counterbalancing devices are, accordingly, as will be seen, so disposed as to act most eiciently and directly in counterbalancing the weight of the door when the latter is in vertical position, and also are located out of the way so as not to interfere in any manner with the operation of the door. The disposition of the parts referred to is particularly advantageous in performing the function of counterbalancing the door in all positions which it may assume where the weight of the door is in whole or in part in the vertical guide members 3. This simple and compact arrangement of the counterbalancing elements is an important feature of the invention, and is especially useful in connection with doors of. the type disclosed herein.

Attached to the lower end at one side of the door isa cable or rope 22. This cable extends upwardly from the righthandrlower corner of the door, as shown in Figure 1, over pulley 20 and around pulley I9 to a screw eye 2Ia, by which it is adjustably attached to the wall adjacent the pulleys 2U and'2I. Attached to the lower lefthand corner of the door is one end of a'second rope or cable 22a, which passes up over pulley I9a, around pulley 2I and around pulley I9b to a screw eye 20a, by which the other end of the rope or cable is adjustably attached to the wall adjacent the pulleys 20 and 2|. The tension of the spring tends to draw the door up and assist in opening it. When the door is fully opened the pulleys I9 and I9b are nearer to the pulley I9a than they are as shown in Figure 1. By this arrangement of pulleys, springs and rope there is provided a compact, conveniently located counterbalance spring operated mechanism for assisting in opening the door.

In order to facilitate the movement of the door and provide means for grasping it by the hand there is a'loop 24. There may be as many of these loops as are necessary. This. loop may be used for both opening and closing the door. In order to further assist in opening the door there may be provided a tread member 25 located on the extreme lower edge of the door. For the purpose of securing the door in locked position there is provided, as shown in Figure l, a lock 26. This lock is placed on one side of one of the panels and has a plunger adapted to t through a hole in the wall of one of the guide members. While there is only one lock member shown there may be any number used. A chain 21 is used for raising and lowering the door and This spring, which serves as has one end attached to one side of the door at one end thereof, and the other end attached to the wall slightly more than halfway up the height of the door.

In Figures 1 and 2 the door is shown in closed position. The roller I2 is located within the seat la. The walls of this seat are substantially vertical and tend to hold the upper panel of the door against the wall of the building. In order ,to open the door it is necessary that the door as a whole be first raised in order to bring the roller I2 out of its seat. After this roller gets out of its seat the upper panel of the door begins to take an inclined position, due to the roller I4 in the guide member. As the door is forced upward the upper end of the door inclines more and more until it assumes a horizontal position until finally the whole door becomes open and assumes a horizontal position supported by the part 5 of the guide'member.

As the door is lowered and closed it approaches the position shown in Figure 5. In this position the door is substantially closed. All of the panels are in a vertical position except the last or upper one. In Figure 4 the door is in a position more nearly closed. In this position the roller I2 is in engagement with the bracket 6 and is within the slot T, ready to force the upper panel against the wall of the building. As the door is lowered the upper part of this panel is pushed toward the building until the roller I2 reaches the seat la. By this time the door is fully closed, the upper panel is against the wall and held there by means of the peculiar position of the seat 'Ia on the lower part of the slot 1.

While these figures only illustrate the struc- `ture at one side of the doorway, a similar cooperating structure is found on the other side of the doorway and cooperates in the movement of the door for opening and closing purposes and supporting the door in open position and in closed position. In order that the roller on the upper end of the upper panel may not interfere with the proper operation of the roller I2 by means of the bracket 6, this upper roller is mounted on an arm I3 so that it may swing and move to and from the panel during the process of opening and closing the door. By this means this upper panel may move independent of the roller I4 to a slight extent.

L It will be observed that I have provided adjusting bolts 28 for adjusting the angularity of the slots I with respect to the track composed of portions 3, 4 and 5.

It will be further observed that I have located the spring and the pulleys in a position above the doorway, between the door and the wall, so that no special mounting is necessary on the ceiling of the building as has heretofore been the practice for any counterbalancing mechanism, and the apparatus is so arranged that it may be entirelyV inclosed, if desired, in a neat box not shown.

I desire to comprehend within my invention such modifications as may be clearly embraced within my claims and the scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is'new andY desire to 'secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an overhead door formed of sections united by hinges, in combination with a wall having a doorway therein, a guide member for the door on each sid-e of the doorway, a shaft extending from each hinge, a roller on each shaft engaging a guide member, a bracket adjacent each sideof the doorway` near` theupper end thereof, each bracket having an inclined slot terminating in a vertically walled seat, a bracket on each side v,of the upper end of the door, an arm pivoted at .one end to said last-named bracket, a `roller on the other end of said arm engaging one of said guide members, and a fixed roller on each of said last-named brackets adaptedto engage a slot to hold the upper end of the door in its closed position. t t

`2. In an overhead door, in `combination with a wall having a doorway therein, a pulley at one upper corner'of said doorway, a .coil spring anchored at one end adjacent said pulley and having on its other end a double pulley, a pair of pulleys at the other upper corner of said doorway, acable attached at one end to one side of i the door and passing over `the rst pulley, one

of the pair of pulleys and around one of the double pulleys and anchored at the other end to the wall, and a second cable attached at one end to the other side of the door and passing over the other one of the pair of pulleys, around the other of the double pulleys and having its other end anchored to the wall, said pulleys and spring 'being located entirely above and substantially in the same plane as said door when the door is in closed position.

3. In an overhead door, in combination with a wall having a ldoorway therein, a pulley at one upper corner of said doorway, a coil spring` anchored at one end adjacent said pulley and having on its other end a double pulley, a pair of pulleys at the other upper corner of said doorway, a cable attached at one end to one side of the idoor and passing over the first pulley, one of theA pair of pulleys and around one of the double pulleys and adjustably anchored at the other end to the wall, and a` second cable attached at one end to the other side of the door and passing over the other one of the pair of pulleys, around the other of the double pulleys and having its other end adjustably anchored to the wall, said pulleys and spring being located entirely above and substantially in the same plane as said door when the door is in closed position. t

4. In an overhead door, in combination with a Wall having a doorway therein, a pulley at one upper corner of said doorway, a coil spring anchored at one end adjacent said pulley and having on its other end a double pulley, a pair of pulleys at the other upper corner of said doorway, a cable attached at one end to one side of the door and passing over the first pulley, one of the pair of pulleys and around one of the double pulleys and anchored at the other end to the wall, and a second cable attached at one end to the other side of the door and passing over the other one of the pair of pulleys, around the other of the double pulleys and having its other end anchored to the wall, said spring and pulleys being located substantially in the same plane with said door and above said doorway and said door when the latter is in closed position and between said door and said wall when the door is moved to open position.

5. In an overhead door, in combination with a wall having a doorway therein, a pulley at one upper corner of said doorway, a coil spring anchored at one end adjacent said pulley and having on its other end a double pulley, a pair of pulleys at the other upper corner of said ldoorway, a cable attached at one end to one side of the door and passing over the rst pulley, one of the pair of pulleys and around one of the double pulleys and anchored at the other end to .the wall, and a second cable attached at one end to the other side of the door and passing over the other one of the pair of pulleys, around the other of the double pulleys and having its other end anchored to the wall, said spring and pulleys being located substantially in the same plane with said door and above said doorway and sai-d door when the latter is in closed position and between said door and said wall when the door is moved to open position, said spring and pulleys being arranged in substantial parallel relationship with the longitudinal dimension of the door above said doorway. y

6. In combination, an articulated door, a guide track comprising a vertical, a horizontal and an arcuate interconnecting portion, and a supplementary guide bracket having a guide slot adjacent the. arcuate portion of said track, means on said door for engaging said track whereby the door is guided around the arcuate portion of said track, means on said door to engage said slot, and means for adjustably positioning the slotted bracket with respect to said track.

7. In an overhead door, in combination with a pair of guide members, a plurality of sections hinged together and guided by said guide members into open or closed position, a counterbalancing mechanism for assisting in moving the door to its open position consisting of a tension member mounted in a plane parallel to the plane of the door when in closed position having one of its ends connected to a fixed member and its other end to a movable pulley, and exible members, each having an end connected to said door, an intermediate portion passing over said pulley and its other end connected to a xed member.

8. In an overhead door, in combination with a pair of guide members, a plurality of sections hinged together and guided by said guide members into open or closed position, a counterbalancing mechanism for assisting in moving said door to its open position consisting of a tension member having one of its ends connected to a xed member and its other end to a movable pulley, a plurality of xed pulleys between which said movable pulley is located, and exible members, each having an end connected to said door, a part of its length being movable over said xed and movable pulleys and its other end connected to a xed means.

9. In an overhead door, in combination with a wall having a doorway therein, a door for closing the doorway, a track on each side of the doorway for guiding the door, a pair of brackets on the wall over the doorway, each bracket being attached to a track, and means on the brackets for raising the door, said means comprising a spring attached at one end to one bracket and having on its other end a pair of pulleys, a pair of hooks on the other bracket and a cable for each hook attached at one end to the hook and passing over one of the pulleys and having its other end attached to the door.

10. In an overhead door, in combination with a wall having a doorway therein, a door for closing the doorway, a track on each side of the doorway for guiding the door, a pair of brackets on the wall over the doorway, each bracket being attached to a track, and means on the brackets for raising the door, said means comprising a spring attached at one end to one of the brackets and having on its other end a pair' of pulleys, a single pulley on the bracket to which the spring is attached, a pair of pulleys anda pair of hooks on the other brackets, a cable attached at one end to one hook and passing over one of the spring rollers and one of the pair of rollers and having its other end attached to the door, and a second cable attached at one end to the other hook and passing over the other spring pulley, the other of the pairs of rollers and the single pulley and having its other end attached to the door.

11. In an overhead door, in combination with a wall having a doorway therein, a door for closing the doorway, a track on each side of the doorway for guiding the door, a pair of brackets on the wall over the doorway, and means on the brackets for raising thel door, said means comprising a spring attached at one end to one bracket and having on its other end a pair of pulleys, a pair of hooks on the other bracket and a cable for each hook attached at onerend to the hook and passing over one of the pulleys and having its other end attached to the door.

12. In an overhead door, in combination with a wall having a doorway therein, a door for closing the doorway, a track on each side of the doorway for guiding the door, a pair of brackets on the wall over the doorway, and means on the brackets for raising the door, said means comprising a spring attached at one Yend to one of the brackets and having on its other end a pair of pulleys, a single pulley on the bracket to which the spring is attached, a pair of pulleys and a mechanism therefor comprising a pair of brackets connected by a brace, a pair of pulleys on one bracket and a single pulley on the other bracket, a spring connected at one end to the single pulley bracket and having on its other end a pair of pulleys, a cable attached at one end to the bracket having the pair of pulleys thereon, said cable passing about one ofthe spring pulleys and one of the pair of pulleys on the bracket, and a second cable attached at one end to the bracket having a pair of pulleys thereon, said second cable passing about theother spring pulley, the other of the pairs of pulleys on the bracket and the single pulley bracket.

14. In combination, in a door operating mechanism, a pair of cables, each attached at one end to one side of the door, a xed support for the other ends of said cables, a common yielding means having a xed support, and a floating support, for the yielding means and both of said cables engaging the cables intermediate of their ends.

15. In combination, in a door operating mechanism, a pair of cables, each attached at one end to one side of the door, a xed support for the other ends of said cables, a common yielding means having a fixed support, and a iioating support for the yielding means and both of said cables engaging the cables intermediate of their ends, all of the foregoing means being located in the plane of the door.

16. In combination, in a door operating mechanism, a pair of cables, each attached at one end to one side of the door, a fixed support for the other ends of said cables, a common yielding means having a xed support, and a floating support for the yielding means and both of said cables engaging the cables intermediate of their ends, all of the foregoing means being located in the plane of the door above the door.

WILLIAM M. BRUNST. 

